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Notre Dame forward Carleton Scott drops his head after his team’s loss to Old Dominion.

Minute-by-minute analysis of this first-round South region meeting between the sixth-seeded Fighting Irish and 11th-seeded Monarchs. The Journal’s Darren Everson offers commentary on the game and the CBS broadcast, plus bonus coverage of other early Thursday games. Get the latest tournament news and scores here.

If you’re like millions of Americans, you’re now finishing up your bracket, just in time for the typical noon deadline. And here already is a game that could hurt you.

Notre Dame, the No. 6 seed in the South, is a reasonable bet to reach the Sweet 16. The Fighting Irish finished the season strong, winning six of their last seven, getting star forward Luke Harangody back from a knee injury in the process. Plus Baylor, the third seed in the region, is a little turnover-prone.

But the Irish could just as easily be on their way home in three hours. Old Dominion, the No. 11 seed, is the top offensive rebounding team in the country, according to statistician Ken Pomeroy’s numbers, and the Monarchs have demonstrated they can play at this level. ODU won at Georgetown in December, and is a popular upset pick.

Will the Irish, favored by just three points, survive? More importantly, will your bracket?

What is it with Midwestern teams, anyway? Notre Dame — according to Ken Pomeroy’s numbers — is the 304th-fastest team in the country, tempo-wise. That’s actually more typical of teams in the Big Ten, which love to walk it up.

Looking elsewhere, Villanova — which kept two starters out of the starting lineup for disciplinary reasons — is down two early to Robert Morris. Isn’t it the queasiest feeling, watching one of your Sweet 16 (or deeper) teams scuffle early?

Teams like Notre Dame must be so frustrating to play. They never run, practically never turn it over. (Previous two possessions notwithstanding.) And then Ben Hansbrough — Tyler’s brother — hits a three, stretching the lead back to nine.

Interesting that BYU–which trailed Florida early–has now surged to a five-point lead, late in the first half. The Mountain West badly needs each of its four tournament entrants to show us something. The league has done precious little in the tournament in recent years.

ODU actually cut it to four in the final 30 seconds on a Keyon Carter three, but Tim Abromaitis quickly answered with a long two.

A weird game. Not sure I’d be happy if I were either coach. ODU hasn’t played well in many respects, but Notre Dame is just up six. And the Irish aren’t shooting it well or getting anything out of their star.

It’s only a five-point game, and we’ve seen this before from Nova, which trailed at the half against American in the first round last year.

Ugly early-round games like this–if you survive them–aren’t necessarily a red flag for a high seed’s chances the rest of the tournament. In 1995, on its way to the national title, UCLA needed a last-second shot to slip by Missouri. And Nova reached the Final Four last season.

A reader brought up how Notre Dame slowed its offensive tempo in response to the Harangody injury, which is a good point.

Still, I wouldn’t have quite called ND a running team back before Harangody went down. They pushed the tempo against some cream-puff opponents, but once they got into the Big East, they were around 65 possessions a game, which is on the slow side.

About to get underway in the second half. If I’m Notre Dame, the one thing I’d be concerned about is the possibility that ODU–a smaller-conference team–played a nervous first half, and thus is due for a rebound.

Down to one! Frank Hassell scores on a nice little lefty hook in the lane for ODU.

Since ODU coach Blaine Taylor called timeout with 4:43 left in the first half, down nine, ODU is on a 12-4 run. Not sure the term “run” is appropriate, as it’s the most deliberate spurt you’ve ever seen, but momentum is definitely with the Monarchs.

And there it is–ODU takes the lead on a shot-clock beating jumper by Keyon Carter.

Lead lasts all of a few seconds, though, as Notre Dame gets a steal and a breakaway layup. The Irish have to be worried, though–particularly about Harangody, who missed a reverse layup and is still scoreless.

ND reawakening a bit, seizing a three-point lead with a couple of scores inside.

Ben Hansbrough hears it from opposing fans sometimes about how he’s not his brother Tyler, but he’s been the key for the Irish so far. Has a game-high 12 points, including a put-back inside just before the timeout.

It’s getting late–and it’s becoming increasingly clear that Notre Dame may not be able to separate itself. You still have to like the Irish’s chances of surviving, though–not just because of the lead but also because of ODU’s offensive limitations.

Huge break for the Irish. Jackson misses a long three for the Irish and Hansbrough fouls while going for the rebound, but ODU’s James–a 66% foul shooter–misses the front end of the resulting one-and-one.

ND ball. ODU, which still has two fouls to give, will be in the two-shot bonus on the next ND foul.

A gruesome final stretch for the Irish. Scott takes a three from the left corner that JUST rims out. After one put-back attempt, Harangody corrals the rebound and eventually puts it back, but it goes in as time expires.

Jay Wright’s tenure as coach at Villanova to date has been a dream, but this would be the first major bout of turbulence.

The Wildcats might never have truly been the second-best team in the country (as they once were ranked earlier this season), but there’s no explaining what’s happened to this team of late–losing 5 of 7 coming into today, and then the Reynolds and Corey Fisher benchings.

CBS reminds us of the last 15-seed victory: 2001, Hampton over Iowa State.

Not so fast, though: Abraham misses a baseline jumper for RMU, Nova’s Stokes grabs the rebound and the Wildcats call timeout. You’d have to imagine that Reynolds is going to try to get back to the line.

By the way, the BYU game has gone final: 99-92 Cougars in double overtime.

It’ll be interesting to hear what Rice, the Robert Morris coach, has to say in the likely event that Nova holds on. Nova’s comeback occurred almost entirely at the line, on some foul calls that Rice found objectionable, to say the least.

Crazy sequence: Nova’s Maurice Sutton blocks Abraham on a drive, and Nova gets the ball up to Redding for a breakaway–but he won’t take the layup, instead getting fouled! Had he taken the layup–a gimme layup, since no one was near Â him–Nova would be up five. Instead, he goes to the line and makes 1 Â of 2, leaving Nova up 71-67.

Robert Morris, of course, takes advantage. Abraham hits a three, pulling the Colonials back within one.

Forced to foul, RMU puts Reynolds on the line, and he hits two. But it’s still not over …

In sum: Was that not the best opening set of tournament games in recent memory?

Scratch that: Maybe not the best. That implies they were impeccably played. (Which they most surely were not, especially at the end.) But definitely the most compelling.

Old Dominion upset Notre Dame after badgering Luke Harangody (a diminished Harangody, but still) into perhaps the worst game of his career. Brigham Young beat Florida in double overtime. And Robert Morris went the distance and then some with Villanova. May we be so fortunate the rest of the tournament.

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